Wednesday, 17 November 2010

"What's interesting about San Francisco is that the higher into the hills you go, the more rich people's houses there are. Picture that steep street on Pine and Powell - with the Fairmont hotel on top of it - can you imagine a homeless person pushing their shopping trolley up that?"

One of my friends - an Urban Planning graduate - explaining the urban segregation of San Francisco, the reason that places like the Tenderloin exist.

Another friend, a Couchsurfing member who stayed with us whilst he was looking for a place to live, told us about his trouble finding a suitable Narcotics Anonymous meeting to attend in the TL.
"The thing about those meetings is that they can be really elitist and snobby if you're don't match the theme of the meeting. For example, if it's a 'making steps' class, they don't wanna hear about your problems. If it's a 'Just for Today' class, they're for people who have had a relapse after one day, they don't wanna hear about you being clean and healthy.
At the moment, I'm clean, but every single class they provide in the Tenderloin is 'Just for today'.

Clockwork Orange

One of the regulars who works the Hyde and Ellis corner

"Come meet me 'round the corner in case the cops are watchin' "

Walee's favourite one-legged prostitute

"Get that camera outta my face, asshole"

In the 60's he was cool, now he shouts down drains

Curb crawler

"Run, children, RUN."

"Come back here and pay me to FUCK YOU"

The kind of women that turn up at your house shortly before a poltergeist infestation